18 September 1998
Rotation 98-10, August 1998
1LT Mark Friesen Goeller
Fort Hood, Texas
Overview of NTC
I have just completed a rotation at the US Army's premier battle
simulation center at Fort Irwin, California. It is located in
the
Mojave Desert and is larger than the state of Rhode Island. The
Military uses this center to simulate the conditions of war that
a
Brigade size element would encounter. Units from across the Army
continually rotate through, experience the stress and trials of
"battle," and then return to their home station.
The concept for the NTC was developed after the Vietnam War in
much
the same war the Navy's Top Gun school came into existence. Studies
have shown that most mistakes are made during a soldier's initial
encounter with combat, leading to many unnecessary deaths, and
that the
survival rate rises exponentially for soldiers who have lived
through
their initial encounter with combat. Once you have experiences
the
stress, fear, and unknowns of battle, you can then prepare more
effectively for the next battle and make better decision in the
midst of
chaos. With this foundational idea in mind, the Army poured millions
of
dollars into an uninhabitable wasteland and now boasts of the
most
advanced training center in the world. There is a real and very
deadly
enemy, called the OPFOR, that lives and trains at Fort Irwin.
They
have a wide compliment of Soviet equipment and American equipment
visually modified to look Soviet and study Soviet doctrine and
tactics.
Since almost 75% of the World's armies have been trained in Soviet
Military doctrine, we prepare to fight against this type of enemy.
Even
with the collapse of the Communism and the Warsaw Pact, there
is still a
wide array of threat nations that the US could face who fight
as the
Soviets fight. This force, the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment,
is a
living, thinking, breathing enemy.
Our unit began to arrive in the first week of August. As you
step of
the plane you are blasted by 120 degree heat. The advanced party
that
is already in country takes you to an initial staging area for
your
inbrief. "You have just landed on the island of Argon.
The nation of
Mojavia, allied with the United States of America, had been invaded
by
Krasnovia. There are also guerilla forces from Parumphia, a neutral
country, working with the Krasnovias to disrupt our combat operations.
We must establish a secure landing zone for follow on forces to
enter
the Island and restore the sovereign National Boundaries of Mojavia"
At
once the battle is underway.
Our first task was to draw equipment that had been pre-positioned
in
country for just such an event. The Army has Tanks and Bradleys
and a
vast array of war munitions stationed near hot spots around the
world
like Korea and Saudi Arabia. This takes place in a compound protected
by the Mojavian Army, yet still threatened by potential terrorist
strikes from the Parumphian guerillas. There are guard towers
and fences
surrounded the compound, and US Forces have to man the gates and
guard
towers to defend against potential threats. During this phase
there are
people who sneak around in civilian cloths and Army BDUs trying
to
covertly gather information about our forces and even to sabotage
our
preparations by placing simulated bombs in our compound. All
of our
soldiers are briefed on the Rules of Engagement and are prepared
to
respond with the appropriate level of aggression necessary to
protect
our forces in theater. This entire scenario attempts to replicate
a
real deployment to a hostile theater of war.
Once the equipment is drawn and prepared for combat, we then roll
out
into the "Box." The box a sandbox that every little
boy dreams of
playing in as a kid. It is over 30 Kilometers wide and 50 Kilometers
long. Our forces move to the East edge of the training area,
while
Krasnovians stage on the far West side. Then the melee combat
begins.
For 8 to 10 days unbroken combat operations will be run, day and
night,
with Tanks, Bradleys, Humvees, 155 Paladan Artillery, Mortars,
Kiowa,
Blackhawk, Apache, and Huey Choppers, A-10's, F-18's, and more
supply,
fuel, and water trucks than you can count, in addition to all
the
command and control vehicles. Every vehicle has a MILES II system
attached, which allows it to send laser beams in the appropriate
strength of its given weapon system, and to sense any laser hits
on it--
assessing a range of damage, from mobility to firepower to catastrophic
kills.
There is also a Global Positioning transmitter that allows
the
OC's (Observer Controllers) to track every vehicle from their
"Star
Wars" command center, and create sequential color images
of the battle
for use in later After Action Reviews(AAR's). Every individual
also
wears personal MILES gear and a dismounted infantry squad or dismounted
Observation Post(OP) will also wear a GPS tracking device to integrate
them into the satellite tracking system. Ammunition is simulated
and
tracked, battle plans are drafted, refined, and disseminated from
the
Brigade Commander down to individual crews, fuel and rations are
pushed
forward from rear supply trains, and Mechanics hover continually
just
behind the front to retrieve and fix vehicles. The mechanics
are
arguably the hardest working and greatest hero's of the entire
scene.
In every possible way the conditions of an actually battle are
simulated. All soldiers carry Mission Oriented Protective Posture(MOPP)
gear, which consists of an M40 or M42 gas mask and chemical protective
suit. When vehicles are damaged or destroyed in the MILES play,
each
crewmember has a casualty assessment card and lists a specific
wound.
Depending on the nature of the wound, a Medic will be called forward
and
the "casualty" will be evacuated to the Forward Aid
Station for
treatment. If they are killed, they have to be sent to the Rear
Combat
Trains, wait 6 hours, and then be pushed forward as a simulated
new
replacement. All the while it is 120+ degrees out, sleep is rare
and at
odd moments in odd positions and never enough, and the enemy never
lets
up. . .
Once the Force on Force simulation is complete the entire Task
Force
changes mission and prepared for a Live Fire maneuver. The 11th
ACR
quickly retreats and returns to their air conditioned billets
while we
shift our attention to a new enemy- - the Plywoodians. Across
the
Northern half of the desert terrain they have emplaced literally
thousands of target arrays. Each one is a large plywood target
on a
mechanical lifter that can be activated by remote control. When
a
target rises and simulates firing at you, an explosive is detonated
that
simulates a muzzle flash. When you hit the target with a tank
or
Bradley round, a separate firework is set of to simulated metal
exploding. The Brigade will usually conduct two or three battles-
one
an offensive movement to contact, the second a deliberate defense.
Both
integrate live fire from every weapons platform we have available
which
creates a frightening and exhilarating symphony of brilliant lights
and
explosions. Once the Live Fire scenario is complete, the Brigade
then
redeploys to the "Dust Bowl" and spends a grueling week
fixing every
vehicle and turning it back in to the civilian contractors that
maintain
them until the next unit arrives. Finally the unit will begin
its
rotation of flights back to its home station and on to rest, relief
from
the heat, and reunions with loved ones.
This is the basic overview of the NTC and the essential experience
of
every soldier who is fortunate enough to travel to the wastelands
of
California.
Rotation 98-10, August 1998
Our specific rotation, 98-10, had quite a few unexpected adventures.
Upon arrival we learned to our shock and utter frustration that
the
Ohio National Guard had left a disaster. Of the 900+ vehicles
they
used, they had not turned in more than 3 before their 2 weeks
were
complete and they decided it was time to go home. They had brought
in
two separate elements to cover the four week rotation.
As a result of their mass exodus, our mechanics and crews had
to go to
the turn in yard and fix the vehicles that we would later draw
and then
take into battle. The days were miserably hot and grueling and
slowly
we began to build up our combat power with semi-fixed vehicles.
These
vehicles are used continually and are run down. Perhaps this
is to make
us appreciate our vehicles at home more. . . We had to push back
our
deployment into the box by a day to have enough vehicles to fight
with,
and we took many vehicles out with us that were still broken,
hoping to
fix them on the fly.
Once we got into the box, the battle commenced. As a Scout Platoon
leader of Alpha Troop, 1-10 Cavalry, I command 6 Bradley Fighting
Vehicles. They are a cross between a tank and a personnel carrier.
They have a 25mm chain gun, can carry 12 TOW anti-tank missiles,
and
several dismounts in the rear of the vehicle. My role was to
be one of
6 forward scout platoons in the Squadron either searching for
the enemy
if we were attacking or identifying the enemy approaching if we
were in
the defense. Once my men had identified the bad guys, if we could
not
kill them ourselves, we would call in our sister Tank Platoons
to
dispatch the evil Krasnovians.
At three in the morning on the first day of battle the stars
were
brilliant. Waves of Kiowa and Apache's were screaming overhead,
attempting to penetrate into the deep nucleus of the enemy formations.
I reviewed my map, with several layers of battle graphics, and
thought
through each stage of the pending battle. At 0400 we began our
movement
toward the Line of Departure, LD, to be staged like a loaded spring
for
the attack. Weapons were uploaded, all my Bradley Commanders
were
briefed, and the adrenaline beginning to build. By 0450 the entire
Squadron was in position along the LD, and at 0500 the call came
over
the command net. "Execute Phase Line Harris. GO! GO! GO!
The
vehicles came to life like screaming monsters and began a furious
race
to beat the emery to the high ground. We knew from the Airforce
JSTARS
radar that the enemy was now advancing East towards us, and early
reports from the Birds gave us a clear axis of advance down the
South
Wall of the Central Corridor. By 0545 the light from the sun
began to
flood over our backs, giving us the tactical advantage and blinding
the
enemies advance. By 0630 the were nearing Hill 780 and were waiting
for
the call from LTC Moore. "Go south! Execute the Colorado
Wadi!" We had
prepared three courses of action and quickly adopted the line
of march
to take us into the Colorado. Things were going well. To well.
BOOM!
The Hoffman(a large explosive mounted on the front of the tank
to
simulate an actual explosion of the main gun) from a T-80 tank
exploded
with a bright flash, and the 125mm round(laser simulated) flew
between
me and my wingman,s Bradley. "CONTACT TANK WEST, OUT!"
Within seconds I had lost two Bradleys to direct fire and ordered
my men to dive for
cover behind a rolling hill known as the Peanut. Still in shock
from
the surprise, I contacted 1LT Martinez and radioed our situation,
screaming for Tank support. The Apache's had failed! The enemy
was 10
Kilometers forward of our planned meeting area. BOOM. Hoffmans
were
exploding everywhere, simulating the main gun of the M1A1 tanks
now
pulling up on my right flank. Whoopie lights began to flash,
the
ominous indicator that a vehicle was destroyed. In my Crew Vehicular
Cover, or CVC, I could hear frantic radio traffic from CPT Cochrane,
trying to get a firm grasp on the situation and maneuver his quickly
disappearing forces. Against his voice "Betty," the
female voice
programmed intro the MILES equipment, began telling me I was receiving
near misses from artillery. "RED this is RED ONE, fall back
to Hill 780
and assume a defensive posture." My Bradley started to fall
back and
search for high ground. SGT Laws, my gunner, began yelling over
the
intercom that we had a drive malfunction and could no longer traverse
our turret. In order to keep the weapon towards the enemy I hollered
at
my driver, Dan Mercado, to go full reverse. Moments later our
Whoopie
light began flashing and Betty politely informed me that we were
destroyed by Artillery fire. As I looked around the battlefield
I could
see T-80's now approaching, followed by BMP's and BRDM's. The
few
remaining vehicles in our Troop were soon routed and destroyed,
and I
sadly watch the dust of the advancing hordes of Krasnovians scream
past
us.
After being reconstituted, conducting a hasty field AAR with our
platoon OC, and moving back to the staging point, we were given
new
orders to establish a screen line along PL JOE. While men were
being
medivacked, Ammunition cross-leveled, and vehicles fixed by SFC
Lyons
and his wizard mechanics, I wrote a quick Operations Order and
briefed
my BC's. We then kicked out ahead of the troop and established
a Screen
Line to prevent any enemy penetration into our zone.
We operated in this sector for the next three days, repulsing
the
probing Division and Regimental reconnaissance of the enemy and
allowing
our leaders to plan their next attack. At one point we received
intelligence of a Heavy Reconnaissance Detachment probing in sector,
and I took two Tanks and
one Bradley to chase it down. We encountered 6 T-80 tanks and
an equal
number of BMP's. Luckily we had the high ground and forced them
to
circle around to the South. I linked up with another tank platoon
and
raced through a hidden pass to cut them off in the "Valley
of Death.
The battle lasted over three hours, and I ended up jumping from
my
track, A11, into my wingman's Bradley, A13, and fighting the majority
of
the battle with SGT McKernan. A classic Hunter Killer knife fight
developed, with a slow and methodical attack through Wadi's and
low
ground. All of our vehicles were killed except my Bradley and
one Tank,
and the two of us were able to work in tandem and kill the remaining
of
the reconnaissance element.
Later that night, back on the screen line, was perhaps the worst
sequence of events for me during the entire rotation. We were
established on a screen line at the mouth of the Hidden Valley
on high
alert knowing that the Regimental Recon elements were in our area.
There were two friendly Canadian vehicles to our front on a surveillance
mission, and I was talking with them and relaying information
up the
command net. At around 2030 CPT Cochrane called all the Platoon
leaders
to return to the Assemble Area(AA) to receive a new mission.
We only
had 4 working Bradleys at the time, so I jumped on my Platoon
Sergeant,s
track and rode back with him. While I received my mission, he
picked up
ice and MRE's for the platoon. On our way back to the front line,
we
heard a report of a possible BMP in our area. There was no
illumination, making it completely black out. We were driving
with
Night Vision Goggles(NVG,s), which turn the world into a green
day. I
was down in the gunner,s seat by default, having just jumped on
board
for the ride back. "CONTACT!" "What is it SGT
Shahan?" "Come right,
right, right. . . . on." "I can't tell but it looks
like a BMP." Our
adrenaline was surging and our hearts racing at 500 miles per
hour. We
quickly executed a contact drill and maneuvered to get a shot.
Suddenly
Betty started telling us we were receiving near misses, and SFC
Shahan
thought he saw in his NOD's light emanating from the vehicle-
a visual
sign of a Bradley or BMP firing (there is a huge lamp that comes
on to
simulate the flash of the gun.) "I see it and am firing!"
Several long
seconds later I suddenly realized that I was still in low magnification
in the sight reticle. I quickly reached up and clicked the switch
to Hi
Mag, and could instantly see the vehicle, now 12 times bigger.
"CEASE
FIRE CEASE FIRE! Its a LAV-25!" To late. The Whoopie light
was
flashing and the vehicle was dead. We had tragically caught the
Canadian reconnaissance command vehicle sneaking around behind
our
lines. He had not reported his position, and we had no indication
he
was behind our line. We later learned that the flashing light
was the
commander outside the vehicle ground-guiding his vehicle, and
the MILES
indication of near misses was a glitch in equipment that just
happened
to go off that that moment. But the inescapable result was unchanged.
Fratricide. I was distraught. It really hit me hard, even in
just MILES
play. After 30 minutes of a lengthy write up by the OC's, we
had to
continue the mission. We resumed our movement to the platoon.
No one
on board said a word. Thinking it couldn,t get worse, SFC Shahan
sudden
yelled "CONTACT and within a few seconds we were dead by
the 73mm
cannon of a BMP II that had been sneaking around behind our line.
And
yet it got even worse. Every person has a Casualty card that
we have to
keep on us at all times. If you are killed and don't have this
card, it
is a penalty and you must be evacuated to the rear as a catastrophic
kill. When I jumped on to SFC Shahan,s vehicle to go the assembly
area,
I had left my card on my vehicle. When the OC asked for my card-
I
turned sick to my stomach. Then I looked a SFC Shahan, and he
had also
lost his. Murphy strikes in force. After the OC realized we
were both
in violation, he decided to send SFC Shahan to the rear and keep
at
least on senior leader forward to fight the Platoon.
The rest of the Force on Force battles continued in similar
fashion,
with brief moments of glory and many hours of painstakingly detailed
planning, rehearsals, coordination, and maintenance. By day 8
we were
exhausted. We then moved into the live fire portion of our rotation.
There is nothing quite like the smell of gunpowder. Anyone who
has
listened to the explosion of an M1A1 tank round and smelled the
Cordite
knows what an exhilarating event that it is. The highlight of
the 5
days came at 0430 on the last day of training. Alpha Troop was
positioned in a deliberate defense in Echo Valley(appropriately
named)
waiting for the Plywoodian hordes to attempt to break through
our line.
"CONTACT BMP WEST, OUT came the alert from the lead Scout
Vehicle. All
hearts suddenly surged with energy, eyes became instantly alert,
scanning aggressively for any other traces of the enemy. We had
created
a kill zone and now had to wait patiently for the enemy to walk
into our
trap. "7,000 meters. . . .6,000 meters. . . Fire Target
Alpha Delta
2001 (Mortar fire). . .5,000. . . .4,000. . . . 3500. . .Fire
TOWS!
Suddenly the black night was transformed as the first TOW missile,s
streamed out the Bradley launchers and soared with deadly accuracy
to
the approaching enemy. At 3000 meters the first echelon of vehicles
exploded as the incoming Artillery and Mortar fire reigned death
from
above and Tow missiles slammed into the light armor of the BMP,s.
At
2500 meters the ground trembled as a line of M1A1 Abrams breathed
fire
and decimated the approaching tanks. At 2000 meters the Bradley
25mm
chain guns joined the melee. Tracer lines lit up the night, making
criss-crossed fence patters in the sky. And just as soon as it
had
started, over 30 enemy vehicles were stopped, dead in their tracks.
And so our training came to a close. We rolled the next day
back to
the dust bowl and spent another grueling week fixing the vehicles
yet
once again. The Troops, in spite of the fatigue and heat, continued
to
work hard and stay motivated. Perhaps this was because the first
crew
that turned in their vehicle got to get on the first flight home!!
Personal Reflections
I give thanks to God for the safety of my men. No on in my platoon
or
the entire rotation was killed. Statistics and the nature of
the
operations that we perform lead to many accidents, and it is a
greater
peace and satisfaction than you can image to know that your men
are both
well trained for the potential of actual combat, and have accomplished
that training safely. There is no training worth the life of
any
soldier.
The NTC is designed to stress you to a point of maximum overload.
It
does that well. . . .
Life be hard in the desert.
The greatest enemy we faced was not the OPFOR but ourselves:
overcoming fears, stress, mechanical problems, fatigue, and the hazards
of extreme desert conditions. While he machines of war are brutally
tough, men, in the economy of modern war, are pretty fragile.My strength comes not from Tanks and Bradleys, but from the Lord.
Psalm 20:7. I kept a small journal while in the desert, and used it to
refine my thoughts and to capture the lessons learned. The dominant
theme that permeates the entire journal is the steady presence of the
Lord in every circumstance. He was radiant in the high desert sunrises
and sunsets. He inspired me daily from the brief snippets of Psalms and
Proverbs that I read through. He was faithful to sustain my spirit in
even darkest of valley,s, even the "Valley of Death. There is no place
you can go and be separated from the Love of God. (Romans 8:32). For
this great and eternal reality- I give thanks to my Lord and Commander,
Jesus Christ.I rejoice that I live in the greatest nation on earth- the United
States of America. We train for war to defend the freedom that our
forefathers bled for, knowing that the price of freedom is eternal
vigilance,, and to ensure that our families can sleep soundly at night
without the fear of enslavement, terror, and death. We live joyfully in
peace and always with hope, for our rights are inalienable, grounded in
justice and truth.Lastly, I want to thank the great soldiers and Americans who sweat and
struggled with me at the NTC. They are the greatest heroes of our
nation. I wish you all could have seen these young men and women
working in all conditions with little sleep and impossible tasks to
accomplish. They serve faithfully day after day, year after year, with
very little recognition from the rest of the country. They do not earn
much, are away from their family often, and work a tempo that would
drive most people insane. Yet when they world falls apart and the
politicians fail, it is the soldier, the faithful soldier, who saves us
every time. I salute you.